The Amazing Spider-Man by J. Michael Straczynski Omnibus, Vol. 2

The Amazing Spider-Man (1999) (Single Issues) #515-545

by J. Michael Straczynski

J. Michael Straczynski concludes his amazing run - and everything changes for Spider-Man! First, Spidey gets some new digs - but can he stand living with the New Avengers? In the shocking storyline "The Other," the vicious Morlun takes Spider-Man to the brink of death- and beyond! If Peter Parker has any hope of surviving, he has two choices: evolve or die! Then, Civil War erupts - and things really get wild! Spidey in red-and-gold armor! Spidey back in black! And Spidey unmasked in front of the world! But brace yourself for the big finish- as Aunt May lies dying, what would Peter and MJ give for One More Day...?

COLLECTING: AMAZING SPIDER-MAN (1999) 515-545; FRIENDLY NEIGHBORHOOD SPIDER-MAN (2005) 1-4, 24; MARVEL KNIGHTS SPIDER-MAN (2004) 19-22; SENSATIONAL SPIDER-MAN (2006) 41; SPIDER-MAN: THE OTHER SKETCHBOOK (2005) 1; SPIDER-MAN: ONE MORE DAY SKETCHBOOK (2007) 1

Genres: Comics, Marvel, Spider Man, Graphic Novels Comics

1136 pages, Hardcover

First published December 28, 2007

About the author

Joseph Michael Straczynski is an American filmmaker and comic book writer. He is the founder of Synthetic Worlds Ltd. and Studio JMS and is best known as the creator of the science fiction television series Babylon 5 (1993–1998) and its spinoff Crusade (1999), as well as the series Jeremiah (2002–2004) and Sense8 (2015–2018). He is the executor of the estate of Harlan Ellison.
Straczynski wrote the psychological drama film Changeling (2008) and was co-writer on the martial arts thriller Ninja Assassin (2009), was one of the key writers for (and had a cameo in) Marvel's Thor (2011), as well as the horror film Underworld: Awakening (2012), and the apocalyptic horror film World War Z (2013). From 2001 to 2007, Straczynski wrote Marvel Comics' The Amazing Spider-Man, followed by runs on Thor and Fantastic Four. He is the author of the Superman: Earth One trilogy of graphic novels, and he has written Superman, Wonder Woman, and Before Watchmen for DC Comics. Straczynski is the creator and writer of several original comic book series such as Rising Stars, Midnight Nation, Dream Police, and Ten Grand through Joe's Comics.
A prolific writer across a variety of media and former journalist, Straczynski is the author of the autobiography Becoming Superman (2019) for HarperVoyager, the novel Together We Will Go (2021) for Simon & Schuster, and Becoming a Writer, Staying a Writer (2021) for Benbella Books. In 2020 he was named Head of the Creative Council for the comics publishing company Artists, Writers and Artisans.
Straczynski is a long-time participant in Usenet and other early computer networks, interacting with fans through various online forums (including GEnie, CompuServe, and America Online) since 1984. He is credited as being the first TV producer to directly engage with fans on the Internet and to allow viewer viewpoints to influence the look and feel of his show. Two prominent areas where he had a presence were GEnie and the newsgroup rec.arts.sf.tv.babylon5.moderated.

Reviews

[Andrew Seaton · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is probably undeserved because most of the book is fantastic, but I just can’t get over One More Day. Never read it before but I know how polarizing it is. Now I know why.

[Shannon Appelcline · Rating 4 out of 5]

Skin Deep (515-518). It's been twenty years since I first read JMS' run on Spider-Man, and when I picked up this story I have to admit: I didn't remember it at all. I mean, you can see what JMS was trying to do here: he wanted to create new memebrs for Spidey's rogue's gallery. But this one feels _so_ classic that it's a real case of been-there-seen-that-before. (I was constantly reminded of Molten Man for a variety of reasons.) There's some nice elements to the story, such as flashbacks to Peter in High School, Pre-Spider-Man, and the repercussions of the story lead to excellent-ness in the volume, but obviously this one wasn't that memorable [3+/5].

New Avengers (519-524). The New Avengers era for Spider-Man was one of the highlights of Spidey's story over the last 20 years, especially his time in Avengers Tower, and that all started here. Him getting to live with peers, MJ and May getting to live within his world, and even May having a romance with Jarvis were all awesome plot points. Oh, there's some main plotline here involving Hydra. Was this really the first time Hydra was dangerous in some time? If so, it was a great move that led to many future stories. Here's it's fine as padding between the amazing interactions in the tower. [4+/5].

The Other (525-528+Knights+FNS. A storyline of somewhat mixed blessings. The plot is weak. Peter is dying, no he's being killed, and Morlun and JMS' ideas of animal totems move through this. Except none of it really feels like it's concluded in a satisfactory manner and it's all a bit too stretch out. But what's there is neat and the writing is strong. (The Marvel Knights issues are especially great, as the first few take really orthogonal looks at the storyline.) We also get a continuation of the Avengers Tower storyline, which really felt like Spider-Man at his best, because he had support and community [3+/5].

The Road to Civil War (529-531). What do you do with just three months to go until the biggest crossover of the era? If you're JMS, you create a nice setup arc that talks over the issues of superheroes in Washington before the New Warriors blow things up. It's a little slow, and there's a bit too much character assassination of Tony (a CONSTANT problem in this era), but nonetheless it's a nice setup. [3+/5] And thank goodness it's finally in its proper place in an omnibus, as Marvel wrecked the TASM trades of the JMS run by pulling these three issues out to a special "Road to Civil War" crossover TPB.

Civil War (532-538). This should have been the most long-reaching and important arc that JMS wrote for Spider-Man, not the silliness with Morlun and totemic animals. It lays out several magnificent turning points in Peter's life. Oh, perhaps the unmasking never could have been maintained, but the break with Tony, the break with the Avengers, and the shooting that ends the arc, those are all life-changing moments.

This arc also demonstrated how Civil War could have been done right. JMS goes deep into the good and bad, and actually allows Peter's thoughts to evolve with time, making this the deepest and most emotional of all the crossovers.

Overall, a brilliant Spider-Man arc, so of course Marvel was less than a year from erasing it all. FFS. [5/5].

Back in Black (ASM #539-543). Continuing straight on from the brilliant Civil War arc, this story puts Peter in the darkest place ever, as he tries to save his dying Aunt May and simultaneously confront her would-be killers. This continues to be JMS' Spider-Man at its best, as it delves deep into the characters of Peter and MJ and confronts them with an event as life-changing as what came before it. So where was JMS planning to go with this all? What was next? Sadly, we'll never know as this was effectively the end of his run. What follows is Joe Quesada's horrendous "One More Day" story, which ruined decades of Spider-Man storytelling and threw JMS' brilliant year of Civil War + Back in Black straight out the door [5/5].

One More Day (ASM #544-545). Decades later, this story is even more crap than it was when it was first printed. Obviously, it spoiled Spider-Man in a big way. It not only kept Peter in a perpetual state of immaturity by taking away his possibility for marriage, but it also entirely destroyed continuity by rearranging things in a totally undefined ways. Twenty years on, the comic is still paying the price for these decisions, as modern writers make progressively worse decisions about MJ's status in the comic.

But this story is also, frankly, dull. The four issues are a mix of MacGuffin and hallucination. There's an interesting interaction with Tony Stark at the beginning that spins right out of Civil War, but after that the comic goes increasingly up its own butt, only opening up at the end, post the worst retcon ever, when we see the first details of Brand New Day. Which was a good run in many ways, but nonetheless Joe Quesada's decision to wipe out the last year of JMS' great run (and more than that, but especially the last year) was disrespectful to the fans and his author alike. [1/5 because Goodreads doesn't go lower]

[Caroline · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finishes the spectacular JMS Amazing Spider-Man run with the idiotic “One More Day” story line that Joe Quesada pushed. The rest is fantastic, and I’m obviously still bitter over that idea choice.

[No_One · Rating 4 out of 5]

And so ends the second half of JMS’s run on ASM.

Having read both volumes back to back I have to say that this was a ride of unfettered magic (and in some cases literal sorcery if you count Peter’s multiple awesome run-ins with Doc Strange over this run).

JMs puts Peter through the ringer. It’s legit one event right after another and they all blend well from into the next. It all feels seamless, like the life of Peter and those around him are happening day by day.

Does it have a few dips? Sure, for example - The Other event goes on a little too long and the lasting effects of the transformation are a bit dubious, but was still solid.

For me, the high points are the arcs before and after The Other. With the Civil War Tie-ins being pretty brilliant and Back in Black being pretty awesome.

Which leads me to One More Day. Having read it in full years later instead of piecemeal issues only bc I was a kid that grew up poor made the experience better.

Also, considering the context of JMS’s run, where Peter and MJ’s relationship is at the center (actually, you can argue the whole of this run is about them and their relationship) honestly have to admit…I liked One More Day.

I guess that’s because of two things- the fact that I am, for lack of senses possibly, a romantic, and the fact that I really believe Peter and MJ are better apart. The whole of this run shows that they actually are just better apart thanks to the constant stress MJ is put through just being around Peter.

If OMD is never undone, I might be ok with it. These two characters love each other, purely, and maybe that’s enough.

Some of my favorite comics. An unforgettable ride.

[Gabriel · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is the second half to the beloved JMS Spider-Man run and while I adored so much of the first half, I truly believe that this second half never reaches the same level of writing as the first.

Ever since the departure of JRJR, this story felt as though it was going downhill. We start onwards from the terrible arc of Sins Past...Peter and MJ are just kind of moving on from that without much thought, but in comes another character from Peter's past to cause him all sorts of hell. It was an interesting arc that led to Peter, Aunt May, and MJ to move into the Avengers tower. From here you get a short Hydra story that is fine, but then "The Other" happens. I, personally, could not stand this story for nearly the entirety of it's 12 issue run. This is where I started to really feel the impact of editorial interference with JMS. It's there from the start and it gets worse, but from this moment forward, I did not enjoy this book much.
I believe that the story of "The Other" takes away the ambiguity of the ending of "The Book of Ezekiel" and it feels like Peter and MJs relationship starts to have more problems than it needs to. We spent an entire omnibus building up their relationship just for them to fight over the smallest things and a terrible lack of communication despite these characters seemingly being like 30 years old. The constant art change was an eye sore and the charm just did not feel present.
At this point, Civil War was kicking off and I hated the way Peter started to act. This eventually leads to Back In Black and that was a good little story, but it's one that I find hard to care for when it just leads to a hysterical Peter that doesn't think about the consequences making a deal with the devil in One More Day.

Sorry, but OMD spoiler rant:
While the art and script were intriguing and I didn't hate OMD as a whole, it's absolutely STUPID to think that 2 grown people couldn't logically think about all the sacrifices they were about to make and that YES, maybe sometimes things HAVE to happen and everyone's time eventually comes to an end. I can't think of a single person I know (that actually loves their partner) that is willing to sacrifice their entire future family for an old parent dying. It doesn't make any sense and that's why this is such a stupid story. Beautiful moments of peace with MJ and Peter hugging in issue 4 of OMD, but jeez...what an idiotic decision.

I refuse to believe this second half exists when thinking of JMS Spider-Man, but it is what it is.
Tough to truly rate for me, but I'll give this second omnibus:
4.5/10

[Jacob · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not as strong as the first half of the JMS run, but still excellent Spidey comics. Back in Black is amazing. Some of the art in The Other run was iffy to me but I loved seeing some Mike Wieringo art as I loved him in Fantastic Four. One More Day is heartbreaking and frustrating to read, it definitely deserves its place as the most controversial Spider-Man storyline.

[James DeSantis · Rating 3 out of 5]

As I said in my first Omnibus review for this run that JMS was a big reason I became a Spider-Man fan. His run is one of the ones alongside Ultimate Spider-Man to get me into comics really.

So we got through Sin's Past in the last volume which is a pretty crappy arc. Now we have Peter trying to put his life back together but also now he's a New Avenger. This volume starts off with the past of Peter's high school days haunting him. Pretty much a anti-bully message that results in a sudden loss of a home. This leads us to Peter spending time at the Avengers mansion with his Aunt May and MJ, and also kind of having Tony as his mentor.

But things go bad quick as we reintroduce Murlan and things get wild for Peter as his body is "dying" and begins The Other arc which is very very long 12 issue crossover event for Spider-Man all to really make him more like the Toby version of Spider-Man having webs shoot out of his hands. Really...that was the reason.

Then we get a tie in look to back in black for Spider-Man 3. Basically a lot of what's being done in this book is either to relate to the movies, or Civil War event or the forced One More day storyline that is now infamous. In one more day Peter has to make a deal to sacrifice his marriage in order to let May live. A very old may who was injured, and dying, but very old, lived a full life, but he gives up his life and marriage with MJ for her. Which really was just the easy way to reset Peter's life after being outed by the media for being Spider-Man thanks to the events of the Civil War arc.

So all in all this is a messy Omnibus. Even though JMS is a strong writer, the constant crossovers and forced mandates can be felt ALL throughout this Omnibus.

Now it's not all bad. I actually enjoyed the Back in Black storyline. It's dark, and not our typical wisecracking superhero fun. If Aunt May is shot, Peter pretty much goes on a rampage. Makes for a lot of fun moments and brutal moments for our Hero. I also enjoyed most things with Peter and MJ. They have a special bond, and work as husband and wife, and JMS writes them both very well that it feels sad he was forced to write one more day. Feels it goes against everything he was writing them for.

The art is all over the place as well. Sometimes fantastic, sometimes not so much. Especially with The Other crossover, some of the art is really really mismatching with the tone it is going for. I also think too much shadowing at times but that's on par for this artist.

Overall not the worst thing, not the best thing, kind of right down the middle in terms of quality. Most of these stories I rated a 3 out of 5, and one a 4, and one a 2. So I feel like a 3 out of for the Omnibus makes sense. Almost a 2.5 but the charm and dialogue of Peter and MJ bump it to a 3 out of 5.

[Bryson Grenfell · Rating 5 out of 5]

J. Michael Straczynski’s run on the Amazing Spider-Man is the single best run that 616 Peter Parker has ever had. There, I said it.
This omnibus (volume 2) contains some of the highest heights of that run.....it also concludes with the lowest low, which only serves to show just how stellar the entirety of the rest is (I know that doesn’t sound too much like a glowing review, but One More Day is old news now.....and is still a well told story with incredible art; plus it totally wasn’t JMS’ fault 😂)

I flew through my read through of this book and know with 100% certainty that I will be revisiting both volumes in the not too distant future.

If you’ve never read Spidey and want to jump in obviously start with volume one of the J. Michael Straczynski omnibus’........but do make sure to read them both, because the ride is most certainly worth it.
Hell, JMS even tells the definitively superior version of Civil War in this.

Do it. You’ll dig it.

[Joakim Ax · Rating 4 out of 5]

The last half of the work of JMS on Spider-man. It´s interrupted by a event and still makes the best out of it. Civil war could not be what it is without Spider-man standing right there in the middle of it all. Sadly ot overshadows what the earlier story arc gives us with The Other, Evolve or Die story arc. And when we get to One More Day. A more nostalgic reader shurely has some problems with it. This has been the third time for me reading this particular story arc, and this is the first time the event ends bitter sweet for me, having read most of the amazing spider-man issues from #1.

[Joe Lackey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Back in Black and Civil War are some of the best Spidey stories I’ve ever read. Spider-man fully unleashed against the Kingpin is one of the most engrossing stories I’ve read across many issues. But just like volume 1 is ends with a terrible arc in One More Day. All of JMS’s work to grow Peter up is undone.

[JJ · Rating 2 out of 5]

Overall, J. Michael Straczynski's run on Amazing Spider-Man is really a mixed bag for me.

In this second volume, there are particular high points: Spider-Man getting closer with Iron Man and The Avengers, previewing his Marvel Cinematic Universe status, and that iconic Iron Spider costume; the events of Civil War, with game-changing decisions by Spider-Man that feel true-to-character and take the story in interesting directions; and even an excuse to take the black costume out for a spin as things take a darker turn.

But The Amazing Spider-Man also hits some of the lowest lows in recent memory by embracing mysticism as part of Spider-Man's powers and origin and then turning back important events in Peter Parker's life in the awful One More Day storyline.

This omnibus collection also includes some bonus materials, and I'm always grateful that it includes the crossovers -- including issues from other Spider-Man series -- to make sure you get the full picture.

In these extras, which are mostly promotional interviews with Marvel talent, a common theme emerges: Marvel Editorial seems to have tight control over the character of Spider-Man, often creating mandates or confusion or just generally situations that J. Michael Straczynski didn't like and had to work his way out of. Maybe that explains the poor quality here. From what I gathered, Straczynski:

- Didn't like The Other crossover because it wasn't coordinated well among the various authors
- Didn't like how some of the big Civil War reveals didn't happen in his comic
- Didn't want to do Back in Black at all and wrote the series such that you can skip it
- And didn't want to do One More Day, but Marvel Editorial forced him to

I'm paraphrasing, and I don't know what he's said since the interviews I'm reading, but if you're keeping score: that's most of the omnibus that the author has issues with.

Admittedly, I read the contents of this omnibus over the course of 10 years in a variety of different formats -- with only One More Day right before this review. So let's focus in on that:

I'm not breaking new ground here, the arc is infamous for undoing a major moment in Peter Parker's life, but I held out hope that maybe people were wrong. Maybe they pulled it off in a smart, subversive way that I'd actually enjoy.

They did not. I did not. It's one of my least favorite comics I've ever read.

You can FEEL the power of the editorial mandate, that foregone conclusion that Straczynski is trying to bend the story into. It's complete nonsense and feels totally out of character for Peter, and it doesn't help that the series don't even really sell itself either -- very abstract, spiritual concepts and distractingly grotesque art (from the editorial mandate-maker himself, Editor-in-Chief Joe Quesada) create something that almost feels like a fever dream or a nightmare: something that should be woken up from, not something that should have profound implications on these characters.

If you're a Spider-Man fan, there's no denying this omnibus contains some absolutely iconic moments -- both good and bad. I'd almost say you owe it to yourself to read it, given how influential it is. But that doesn't mean it's good.

[Graeme · Rating 4 out of 5]

A strong end to JMS’ run with Spidey. The highlights here at the other and back in black for me. The other stories here are decent and have their moments especially civil war which has Peter really thinking about his decisions. One more day on the other hand I felt should have went a different way. Aunt May is one of if not the most important supporting characters in Peters life but this story would’ve been much better if instead of having Peter not accept the reality of her condition have him come to terms with it accept it and use her death like he used Uncle Ben’s death.

[TheMadReader · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very solid read through and through. Almost perfect but the first volume was more superior. My introduction to JMS & Spiderman comics couldn’t have been better. Tons of heartfelt moments and interesting storylines. The set was really good as well. I guess eventually, I’ll have to claw my way through teen Parker stories. Looking forward to jumping into Brand New Day in the mean time.

[Joshua]

Must’ve been quite a time to be a spidey reader month to month

[B3RG1S · Rating 4 out of 5]

Пока лучший ран на человеке пауке. Это реально база

[Jordan Schroeder · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ends with a cliff hanger Peter and MJ make a deal with Mephisto.

[Hugh Davies Hall · Rating 3 out of 5]

7/10